Tape dispenser



July 27, 1965 c. A. BRETHEN 3,197,104

TAPE DISPENSER Filed Dec. 20, 1962 United States Patent O 3,197,104 TAPE DSPENSER Chester Arthur Brethen, 6916 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, Fla. Filed Dec. 20, 1962, Ser. No. 246,063 4 Claims. (Cl. 226-67) This invention relates to tape dispensers. tain aspects of the inventive concept here presented may be broadly applicable in the dispensing of tape of a wide variety of types, the invention as here presented is more particularly concerned with the step by step delivery of printed price markers such as those having pressure sensitive adhesive on one side and divided one from another by notches and/ or perforations.

The delivery and printing of markers of the type referred to, has Vlong been a common practice. However, the equipment usually provided for the delivery and printing of such markers is commonly a massive, complicated and expensive construction. It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel, simple and improved construction, which is readily portable, effective and efficient in operation, light in weight, and Well designed to meet the demands of economic manufacture. An important feature of the invention by which the indexing of the tape through the apparatus is insured, as to faithfhl movement in response to operation and precise length of movement of each operation, is the provision or means for distorting the transverse plane of the tape as it is engaged by the tape moving element, thus insuring in each operation of the device the positive inter-engagement of the moving means with the tape. Numerous other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from consideration of the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of one preferred form of the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal section through that form of the device shown in FIGURE 1,

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the central portion of the .apparatus as shown in FIGURE 1, and

FIG. 4 is a sectional View taken on the line 4 4 of FIGURE 3.

That form of the invention here specifically illustrated, is a small, light-weight, portable dispensing and printing device for labels generally used as price markers in retail merchandising, and formed as .a roll of notched or perforated individual labels such as those formed with pressure sensitive adhesive on the under side to attach to articles to be merchandised after printing and individual detachment one from another. In the drawing, the numeral 19 indicates a base plate, preferably of generally rectangular form and of rigid, light-weight material, such as aluminum, plastic or the like. At one end, here shown as the right end, there is provided over the base plate a top plate 11, also of generally rectangular form but of shorter length than the bottom plate but otherwise conforming in width therewith. The top plate 11 is preferably formed of a similar light-weight, rigid, material such as aluminum or plastic, conforming with the material of the bottom plate 10. At the outer end of the top plate 1i, standards 12 are provided which receive therebetween the roll of labels 13. In conventional fashion the roll of labels are wound upon a central core 14 with projecting pintals 15 which are received Within inwardly facing L-shaped slots 16 of the standards, whereby the roll is mounted for free rotation and is retained against inadvertent and accidental displacement from its retention between the standards.

Between the top and bottom plates 11 and 1t), respectively, there is delined a passage for the strip of labels,

3,l97,l04 Patented July 27, 1965 which passage is generally indicated by the numeral 17. The labels pass outwardly from the roll and thence 1nwardly to the passage 17. Adjacent the roll 13 a roller 18 is provided and thereabove .a pivoted roller 19 is mounted for contact therewith. The arrangement of the co-acting rollers is such as to preclude arretrograde motion of the strip of labels. Should such retrograde rnotion be attempted, the upper roller will pivot to exert pressure on the under roller to preclude any such retrograde motion. Since the upper roller, however, is freely pivoted, it may of course be manually engaged to restrain it from the automatic pressure on the lower roller to permit a retrograde motion of the tape if such is desired by the operator.

Mounted on the opposite end of the lower plate beyond the terminus of the upper plate, is a conventional reciprocating printing device operated in the usual manner by a vertical handle 2). The structure of the printing device is purely conventional and is indicated by lthe numeral 21 and forms no part of the present invention. It will be understood, of course, that las the handle 2i) is depressed, the printing mechanism will function to apply to each individual label as it passes thereunder a suitable price marking. Associated with the handle 20 there is provided an inwardly directed arm 22. From the outer end of the arm 22 a ilexible wire 23 passes downwardly from the arm and enters a guide tube 24 leading to the passage 17 between the top and bottom plates. The passage between the plates is characterized by the provision of milled out side channels 25 With a central land 26 formed in the upper face of the lower plate 1G. Over this portion of the passage there is provided in the upper plate a recess 27 for the reception of a slidable tape moving claw block 28 having downwardly extending triangular side teeth 29 which extend downwardly into the recess formed by the milled channels 25. A central tooth 30 may also be provided. From the tube 24 the flexible wire 23 from the arm 22 extends to the slidable tapemoving claw block 28, the arrangement being such that as the handle 20 is depressed to print the label directly thereunder, the claw block is moved to the right by the depression of the wire 23 sliding through'the tube 24. As the handle is raised, as by spring pressure in conventional manner, the wire retracts the claw block while the side teeth 29 are depressing the label directly thereunder into the milled recesses. Marginal edge portions of a label behind an indexing notch are thus sprung downwardly and away from the front marginal portions thereof, whereby said front marginal portions will readily be engaged or hooked by the perpendicular forward edges of the claw block side teeth 29. At this particular point the teeth are firmly engaged with the label to insure the movement of the strip for the length of one individual label of the strip. The importance of the deformation of the individual label, by the action of the teeth, insures positive action and precise movement of the strip to the length of one label at each depression of the printing device handle. Earlier devices had no such deformation of the label. The movement was effected by surface penetrating or engaging pins or the like, which were not always faithful in providing the accurate movement of the tape and which in some instances scariiied or otherwise damaged the surface of the label.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the present invention provides a light, portable printing and dispensing apparatus for labels or the like, and that the structure insures an accurate movement of the tape to the extent of the length of each individual label automatically as the printing device handle is depressed. It will, of course, be understood that in the practice of the invention the length and size of the labels may be varied and that the printing mechanism is here shown only by way of r3 'la example. Thus, it will be understood that numerous changes,grnodifications and the full use of equivalents may be resorted to without departure from the spirit or scope of the invention as outlined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A price marker printer and dispenser for use with continuous rolls of indexed marked tape, including a structure deiining a passageway, said passageway having at each side a tape printer at one end of said passageway, a pair of recesses defining a central land adapted to slifingly support the marker tape thereon, a marker moving element reciprocable over said passageway, said element having integrally formed therewith side teeth receivable for reciprocative movement in said recesses to laterally deform a marker on said passageway as said element moves over said passageway said teeth each having a substantially perpendicular end portion facing said one end of said passageway and a slanted portion facing the other end of said passageway.

2. A light-weight, portable, price marker printing and dispenser: device, including a body having upper and lower plates defining therebetween an elongated passage for a strip of iiexible markers, means for retaining la roll of marker strips for unwinding at one end of Said elongated passage of said body, a printer iat the opposite end of said body, including an operating handle, an operating wire,Y means for moving said operating wire with the.

movements of the handle, said passage including spaced longitudinal recesses in the lower plate deiining a longitudinal land therebetween, a cavity in the upper plate and a'strip moving claw block in said cavity over said recesses and slidable along said land, said claw block including teeth integrally formed therewith and extending longitudinally along each side thereof and being receivable for reciprocation in said recesses, said teeth having a substantially perpendicular end portion facing said opposite direction of said body and a slanted portion facing said one end of said body, said claw block being attached to said wire to be reciprocated thereby.

i 3. A light-weight, portable, price marker printing and dispenser device, including a body having upper and lower plates defining` therebetween an elongated passage for a strip of iiexible markers, standards at one end ofthe 5 body, including means for retaining a roll of marker strips therebetween, a printer at the opposite end of said body, including an operating handle, an operating wire, an arm projecting from said 'handle constituting means for moving said operating wire with the movements of 10 the handle, said passage including spaced longitudinal recesses in the lower plate defining a longitudinal land therebetween, a cavity in the upper plate and a strip moving claw block in said cavity over said recesses and slidable along said land, said claw block including teeth integrally formed therewith and extending longitudinally along each side thereof and being receivable for reciprocation in said recesses, said teeth having a substantially perpendicular end portion facing said opposite direction 20 of said body .and a slanted portion facing Said one end of said body, said claw block being attached to said wire to be reciprocated thereby. MIJ 4. A price marker printer and dispenser as defined in claim 1 including means controlled by the actuationV of 25 said printer for moving said marker moving element.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner.

RAFHAEL M. LUPO, SAMUEL F. COLEMAN,

Examiners. 

1. A PRICE MARKER PRINTER AND DISPENSER FOR USE WITH CONTINUOUS ROLLS OF INDEXED MARKED TAPE, INCLUDING A STRUCTURE DEFINING A PASSAGEWAY, SAID PASSAGEWAY HAVING AT EACH SIDE A TAPE PRINTER AT ONE END OF SAID PASSAGEWAY, A PAIR OF RECESSES DEFINING A CENTRAL LAND ADAPTED TO SLIDINGLY SUPPORT THE MARKER TAPE THEREON, A MARKER MOVING ELEMENT RECIPROCABLE OVER SAID PASSAGEWAY, SAID ELEMENT HAVING INTEGRALLY FORMED THEREWITH SIDE TEETH RECEIVABLE FOR RECIPROCATIVE MOVEMENT IN SAID RECESSES TO LATERALLY DEFORM A MARKER ON SAID PASSAGEWAY AS SAID ELEMENT MOVES OVER SAID PASSAGEWAY SAID TEETH EACH HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR END PORTION FACING SAID ONE END OF SAID PASSAGEWAY AND A SLANTED PORTION FACING THE OTHER END OF SAID PASSAGEWAY. 